Chapter 222: Gu Jianing Is About to Give Birth!

""Alright, then I'll go ahead and leave early.""

Maybe it's true what they say about the bond between mother and daughter— the closer it got to Gu Jianing’s due date, the more restless Yao Chunhua became.

She was constantly worried that Ningning might go into labor early, and since she was so far away in her hometown, she wouldn’t be able to help.

She knew that Sheng Zexi was there, and so was Grandma Sang.

But no matter who was there, nothing could put her at ease like being there herself.

So, these past couple of days, she’d been especially anxious.

She hadn’t expected Yang Manman and the others to notice and even suggest a solution.

Yao Chunhua wasn’t one to be melodramatic. Seeing that Yang Manman was doing well, she agreed to the suggestion.

""Then, Mom, go pack your things. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the train station,"" Gu Yunting said.

""Huh? Don’t we need to buy the ticket first?"" Yao Chunhua asked.

Gu Yunting and Yang Manman exchanged a glance and smiled. ""Mom, I already booked your ticket today. It’s a sleeper, for tomorrow morning.""

Yao Chunhua suddenly understood—so the couple had already made up their minds, certain she would agree.

""You two, honestly,"" Yao Chunhua said, feigning a scolding tone but smiling.

That evening, as Yao Chunhua packed her bags, Old Gu helped her, but as he packed, his eyes turned red.

""Old man, why are you crying?"" Yao Chunhua was startled.

""I’m not crying,"" Old Gu said, wiping his eyes, though his voice sounded a bit aggrieved. ""I’m just jealous that you get to go to the Northwest Military District and see our daughter.""

Old Gu: I want to see our daughter too!

Yao Chunhua sighed, understanding how much he missed their girl.

She patted his shoulder and said, ""Don’t worry, I’ll look after her on your behalf too.""

Old Gu: But it’s not the same, is it?

Whether it was the same or not, Old Gu simply couldn’t go with her.

Not to mention that Huaihua Village needed him as the village chief, but Gu Jianing’s home in the Northwest Military District couldn’t accommodate so many people anyway.

Besides, when it comes to taking care of a daughter during her postpartum confinement, it’s appropriate for the mother to go. The father going—well, that just feels odd no matter how you look at it.

""When you get there, remember to tell our girl that I miss her.""

""I will, I know.""

""Tell her she must take good care of herself. Even after having the baby, no matter what, she herself is the most important...""

Though Old Gu doted on his future grandchild, in his daughter’s eyes, nothing could compare.

You could say that Gu Jianing was the apple of their eye.

""Sigh, we shouldn’t have let her marry so far away, and even follow the army to the Northwest. It’s so hard for her.""

""What can you do? She’s been married for a year now, and the grandchild is about to be born.""

Old Gu: ...

""Besides, A’xi is a good man, and his grandparents treat our Ningning well too. I think Ningning is doing just fine now. You have no idea how many people envy her.""

""Sigh, I just wish she’d married closer to home. If anything happened, we and her three brothers could look after her. If anyone bullied her, we could go straight over and stand up for her.""

As she folded clothes, Yao Chunhua laughed, ""We can still do that! If Ningning were bullied, even if she were in the far Northwest, or even in another country, we’d go and stand up for her.""

Old Gu suddenly realized, ""That’s true.""

In fact, that’s exactly what they’d done before.

In their past life, when Gu Jianing was made to disappear by Wen Zhuqing, they searched for her all over the country.

Later, when they heard news of her, they crossed mountains and rivers to get to her.

Wen Zhuqing knew how much they cared for Gu Jianing, and that if they heard anything about her, they’d definitely go—so she arranged a car accident for them.

Yao Chunhua and Old Gu truly loved their daughter with all their hearts.

That night, as Yao Chunhua packed, Old Gu kept fussing and reminding her of things.

Of course, he also packed plenty of things Gu Jianing liked.

The next day, Yao Chunhua, loaded down with bags, boarded the train to the Northwest Military District...

—

Meanwhile, Gu Jianing had no idea her mother was already on the train heading her way.

These past couple of days, Gu Jianing had been feeling a little strange.

Specifically, she hadn’t had much of an appetite.

It wasn’t until she ate some pickled vegetables her mother had sent earlier that she realized she’d been missing her mother’s cooking.

It dawned on her—these past few days, even though she hadn’t said anything or even noticed herself, her body had reacted first.

With her due date so near, she missed her mother and her family.

""Ningning, don’t worry. Since Mom promised she’d come, she’ll definitely come,"" Sheng Zexi hugged Gu Jianing, gently patting her back to comfort her.

Gu Jianing leaned into his arms and gave a muffled ""Mm.""

Maybe she missed her family too much, because that night, Gu Jianing couldn’t sleep.

She only drifted off in the early hours of the morning.

But she hadn’t been asleep long when, just as dawn was breaking, a wave of pain in her belly woke her up.

She couldn’t help but groan, which startled Sheng Zexi, who had just woken up and was about to get out of bed.

""Ningning, what’s wrong?""

""I... I think I’m about to give birth."" The moment Gu Jianing woke up, the system’s voice in her mind told her she was about to go into labor.

""About to give birth?"" Sheng Zexi blurted out in shock.

His voice startled Grandma Sang, who was already up and about to make breakfast.

Grandma Sang hurried to their door. ""What’s going on?""

Sheng Zexi quickly opened the door. ""Grandma, Ningning’s about to have the baby!""

""She’s about to give birth? Should we go to the hospital now?""

Since they’d already planned for this, Grandma Sang was actually calmer than the soon-to-be father, Sheng Zexi.

So they got ready to take Gu Jianing to the hospital. All the things they needed had already been packed in advance.

But Gu Jianing refused. ""No rush, I think it’ll still be a while. Why don’t I eat something first?""

""That’s a good idea. I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles, Ning girl. You’ll need your strength for labor."" With that, Grandma Sang headed to the kitchen.

She told Sheng Zexi to help Gu Jianing walk around the room a bit to get ready for labor.

Just then, there was a knock at the courtyard gate.

""Oh my, who could be coming at this hour?"" Grandma Sang, who was headed to the kitchen, quickened her pace to open the door instead.

When she opened it and saw someone standing there, loaded down with bags, she was momentarily stunned.

But the visitor greeted her first, ""In-law!""

""Oh my, it’s you!"" Grandma Sang snapped out of it and beamed. ""Come in, come in, in-law, hurry inside!"""